1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure at a rear portion of a vehicle, comprising a spring accommodating recess provided in a side frame extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body for accommodating an upper end of a coil spring of a rear suspension.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vehicle body structure in a vehicle involving a coil spring as a component of a rear suspension is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,888,271, in which a portion of a side frame is curved upwards to ensure a space for placement of the coil spring, and the coil spring is supported at its upper end on the curved portion of the side frame. A vehicle body structure is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,334,702, in which a space for placement of a coil spring is ensured by accommodating an upper end of the coil spring in a spring accommodating recess defined in a vehicle body frame.
The former known vehicle body structure suffers from a problem that flattening of the surface of a floor at a rear portion of the vehicle body and lowering of the level of the floor are hindered, because the portion of the side frame is curved upwards. The latter known vehicle body structure suffers from a problem that the rigidity of the vehicle body frame is reduced, because the spring accommodating recess is defined in the vehicle body frame. Particularly, when the vehicle body frame is formed from a grooved member with its upper surface opened, there is a possibility that a remarkable reduction in rigidity is brought about, if an opening of the spring accommodating recess is defined in a bottom wall of the vehicle body frame.